The hon. Lady is entirely right. If we do not deal with the deficit, we face many other problems. We will end up paying a higher interest rate on sovereign debt. At the moment we are doing quite well, with an interest rate of about 3.5%. Before the bail-out, the Irish were being charged about 8% and the Greeks are being charged about 11%. When a country has a large deficit, if that country does not take action, not only does the amount of debt go up but so does the rate of interest.
Savings Accounts and Health in Pregnancy Grant Bill
Proceeding contribution from
John Hemming
(Liberal Democrat)
in the House of Commons on Monday, 22 November 2010.
It occurred during Debate on bills on Savings Accounts and Health in Pregnancy Grant Bill.
Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
519 c65 
Session
2010-12
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
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Timestamp
2023-12-15 13:45:04 +0000
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